Sales at Pro Doc, its generic drug manufacturing subsidiary, rose 12% to $41.4 million. Growth at the unit is expected to help boost margins over the long term.

Prescription sales growth at Jean Coutu and rivals such as Shoppers Drug Mart Corp has been held back in recent years due to a crackdown by provincial governments on generic drug prices and reimbursement rules.

Sales at established stores, a key measure for retailers, increased 2.6% overall in the quarter, and 2% for non-pharmacy, or “front-end”, goods.

Jean Coutu said 61.8% of the prescriptions were for generics during the quarter, up from 57.2% a year earlier.

Shares of Jean Coutu, which have lost 4% of their value over the last six months, closed at $14.22 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday.